Ideally, you would either be making the speech with presentation slides, cue cards, or a copy that has been highlighted. Talks that are read verbatim sound less sincere. People may think that someone else could have written your remarks and that maybe you are not really an expert. It is also hard to establish an emotional connection with the audience when you are reading. So practice using key word notes or an outline, but have your full speech on the podium, too. If you panic and cannot remember the material with just notes, read the speech. In that event, read a couple of sentences to yourself and then look up as you say them before returning to the page. This will help you connect with people rather than just staring at your manuscript.

Videotape at least one rehearsal and watch it to learn how to improve (or audiotape it, which will help you eliminate filler expressions like “um” and “uh”). Try to get a few friends to listen to see how you do in front of real people rather than empty chairs (but insist on candid feedback or they will likely be too polite). If you trip over phrases, simplify the wording. Memorize the opening and closing paragraphs of the speech, to be sure you start and end with your best foot forward.

What you need to achieve is not perfection. People in the audience are not interested in whether you deliver the speech 100 percent as you wrote and practiced it: they just want you to get out of the way of your message.

Most people are unaware of how difficult it may be for those from other areas of the United States or from other countries (who have been trained in “standard English”) to understand their accent or dialect. In some regions, dropping final consonants (find becomes fine in the South) or changing pronunciation from the norm (Cuba becomes Cuber in Boston) would be acceptable for a speaker from that area addressing a local audience. A speech coach can help you become aware of challenges to being understood outside your home base. But even without professional help, if you strive to clearly enunciate your words with a strong voice, it will add another factor to the success of your presentation.

An excellent do-it-yourself course on minimizing distracting aspects of a regional accent and improving enunciation is on the CD that accompanies Jeffrey Jacobi's How to Say It with Your Voice.

Think carefully about what you need to wear. The audience may consist of doctors at a resort in Hawaii who are dressed in shorts, which would not be appropriate for you. That does not mean you have to be formal — it may be fine for male speakers to just wear slacks and a blazer without a tie and women may be comfortable speaking in a business pantsuit. The only rule, besides being clean and neat, is that your appearance should convey your personality and your authoritativeness. Check clothes and makeup in a mirror fifteen minutes before you go on.

Women should wear low to medium heels. High heels will be uncomfortable to stand in for the duration of the speech, and they could result in falling on stage. Men should be sure their shoes do not squeak.